Divine Oaths in the Qur'an and the Bible: A Critical Theological Analysis
Why Does Allah Swear by Created Things While the God of the Bible Swears by Himself?
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
Introduction
One of the striking literary features of the Qur'an is its frequent use of divine oaths. Throughout the Qur'an, Allah is presented as swearing by various created realities: the sun, the moon, the stars, the dawn, the night, time, the fig, the olive, the pen, the wind, the sky, and other elements of creation. In one passage, Allah declares:
"So I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests that We are surely Able..."
(Qur'an 70:40)
By contrast, the Bible presents a different theological picture. When the God of Scripture takes an oath, He does not appeal to creation as His witness or guarantee. Instead, He swears by Himself because there is no authority greater than God.
This difference raises an important theological question:
Why would the Creator swear by created things, while the God of the Bible swears only by Himself?
Divine Oaths in the Qur'an
The Qur'an contains numerous examples of Allah swearing by created objects:
By the dawn (89:1)
By the night (92:1)
By the sun (91:1)
By the moon (91:2)
By the stars (56:75)
By the sky (86:11)
By the fig and the olive (95:1)
By time (103:1)
By the pen (68:1)
By the winds (77:1)
By the charging horses (100:1)
By the constellations or zodiac (al-burūj) (85:1)
These repeated oaths form a distinctive rhetorical style within the Qur'an.
Swearing by the Zodiac
One particularly interesting example appears in Surah Al-Buruj:
"By the heaven containing the constellations (al-burūj)."
(Qur'an 85:1)
The Arabic word al-burūj literally refers to great constellations or celestial formations. Historically, the same word has also been associated with the zodiacal divisions of the heavens.
This raises an important question.
Why would God swear by astronomical signs that many ancient civilizations associated with astrology?
Although Muslims generally reject astrology, the Qur'an nevertheless invokes the heavenly constellations in an oath.
Qur'an 70:40
Another unusual oath appears in Surah Al-Ma'arij:
"So I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests..."
(Qur'an 70:40)
The text says:
"I swear by the Lord..."
It does not explicitly say:
"I swear by Myself."
Classical Islamic commentators understand "the Lord of the Easts and the Wests" to be Allah Himself. However, the wording invites discussion because the verse speaks of "the Lord" rather than using the explicit first-person expression found in biblical passages where God swears by Himself.
The Biblical Pattern
The Bible presents a very different theological principle.
Hebrews 6:13
"For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself."
The writer immediately explains the reason.
There exists no authority above God.
Therefore God swears by Himself.
Likewise:
"I have sworn by myself..."
Isaiah 45:23
"By myself have I sworn..."
Genesis 22:16
The biblical pattern is remarkably consistent.
God's own nature is the highest possible guarantee.
He needs no created witness.
Jesus on Oaths
Jesus also warned against swearing by created things.
"Swear not at all; neither by heaven... nor by the earth..."
Matthew 5:34–35
The reason is simple.
Heaven belongs to God.
Earth belongs to God.
Created things possess no independent authority.
A Theological Contrast
The contrast can be summarized as follows.
The Qur'an
Allah swears by the sun.
Allah swears by the moon.
Allah swears by time.
Allah swears by the dawn.
Allah swears by the stars.
Allah swears by the fig.
Allah swears by the olive.
Allah swears by the pen.
Allah swears by the winds.
Allah swears by the constellations.
Allah swears by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests.
The Bible
God swears by Himself.
God's own character is the guarantee.
No created object is invoked as a higher witness.
Questions for Reflection
Several theological questions arise from this comparison:
If Allah is the absolute sovereign, why are so many oaths made by created realities?
What theological purpose do these created objects serve in divine speech?
Why does Hebrews explicitly explain that God swore by Himself because there was no greater, whereas the Qur'an frequently employs oaths by created things?
How should Qur'an 70:40 be understood in relation to this broader pattern?
These questions have been discussed differently within Christian and Muslim theological traditions.
Christian Perspective
Christian theology teaches that God alone is the highest authority.
Therefore He neither depends upon nor elevates creation as the foundation of His oath.
Everything derives its authority from Him.
As Paul declares:
"For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things."
Romans 11:36
God Himself is the ultimate standard of truth.
Conclusion
The comparison between the Qur'an and the Bible reveals two distinct approaches to divine oaths.
The Qur'an repeatedly presents Allah swearing by elements of creation and, in some passages, by descriptions such as "the Lord of the Easts and the Wests." Islamic scholarship generally understands these oaths as rhetorical devices emphasizing the importance of the message and interprets "the Lord of the Easts and the Wests" as referring to Allah Himself.
The Bible, by contrast, explicitly teaches that when God swears an oath, He swears by Himself because no greater authority exists (Hebrews 6:13; Genesis 22:16; Isaiah 45:23). For Christian theology, this reflects God's absolute self-sufficiency and supreme authority.
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